misanthropologist🍉💀

This is wonderful for Puerto Rico – the moisture from tropical wave Dolly, which is no longer a tropical storm, is helping to bring beneficial rains and put a little dent in the drought. 66% of Puerto Rico is under severe/extreme drought. Since Jan. 1, San Juan, Puerto Rico, has been running 9.5 inches below average in terms of rainfall. The drought is even worse along the south coast, as well as in eastern Puerto Rico. So far, Dolly's moisture has delivered 1.5 inches of rain to Arroyo (near Guayama), 0.55 inches to Ponce, 0.88 inches to Catalina and 0.99 inches to Caguas. Another inch or two could fall in some places, with heavy tropical squalls mainly confined to the southern half of the island. While that won’t eradicate the drought, it’ll certainly put a little dent in the deficit. The timing of Dolly’s formation, which occurred shorlyafter news broke of the passing of country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton, is purely coincidental. The name "Dolly" has been on the National Hurricane Center’s naming list since the 1990s. It was first used in 1996 and replaced the name Diana, which was retired after its namesake storm slammed Veracruz, Mexico, in 1990. The Hurricane Center selects names from a six-year rotating list of alternating male and female names. “The timing of the use of the name Dolly for this storm is purely coincidental,” the National Hurricane Center wrote on Thursday. The system is no longer considered a tropical storm, since harsh upper-level winds have knocked the system out of vertical alignment. As such, it doesn't have wind or surge, meaning it's simply a net positive – Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands need rain, and Dolly's lingering tropical moisture is helping to bring it. There's a nonzero chance that the leftover swirl associated with the system could spur some eventual tropical redevelopment in the vicinity of the Bahamas, but confidence is very low.